Where does “rum-runner” come from?
rum-runner (English) comes from English runner, from English run, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti — he, she.
rum-runner (English): an alcohol smuggler, especially from the...
Definitions
- an alcohol smuggler, especially from the...
Ancestry of “rum-runner”, step by step
rum-runner traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English runner
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | runner | Agent noun of run; one who runs; A quick escape... |
| 2 | English | run | To move swiftly; To flow; To sail before the... |
| 3 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 4 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 5 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 6 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English rum
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | rum | A distilled spirit derived from fermented cane... |
| 2 | Ottoman Turkish | روم | Various other areas of the Ottoman Empire full of "Roman" (i.e. Byzantine Greek) people, particularly central Anatolia |
| 3 | Arabic | رُوم | Byzantines |
| 4 | Middle Persian | 𐭧𐭫𐭥𐭬 | Rome; Byzantine |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Ῥωμανία | Byzantine Empire |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -ῐ́ᾱ | {{l|en|-ia}}; "suffix forming abstract feminine... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |